Best Lakes for Boating Near Bismarck
North Dakota
3 boating lakes within driving distance of Bismarck, North Dakota, ranked by water quality and boating-specific filters. Filtered for at least 100 acres and public access. The largest lakes with boat-worthy water are listed first.
Bismarck is not lake-dense — only 3 graded lakes are within easy reach. The cleanest of those is Nelson Lake (C).
The boating-specific ranking layered on top of the LakeGrade rubric is what produces the list below: a grade-good lake that does not also support the boating use case is less useful than a grade-decent lake that does.
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Distance | Clarity | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nelson Lake | Oliver | C | 26.8 mi | 1.3 ft | - |
| 2 | Froelich Dam Lake | Sioux | D | 45.8 mi | 3.9 ft | - |
| 3 | Harmon Lake | Morton | F | 12.3 mi | - | - |
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.